Analysis of existing solutions related to building energy monitoring and control

Definition of the functional, technical and technological requirements of the AnyPLACE solution

Design of compatibility strategies for smart meters and appliances

Development of a smart heat pump for electric water heating

Development guidelines for the different hardware and software modules that compose the final solution

Production of the AnyPLACE solutions that were deployed in the field

To achieve a solution compatible with existing smart meters and legacy/smart devices (for the consortium countries), it was mandatory to identify all functional requirements for a basic and advanced version of AnyPLACE. The basic version had the goal of fitting a budget of 100€/unit. As such, optimised configurations were considered for different deployment environments based on cost-benefit analysis and for end-user engagement.

AnyPLACE is designed mainly for residential energy management. High level functional requirements were identified along with a set of deployment scenarios. SGAM was used to ensure interoperability between business, function and component layers, the internal module of AnyPLACE, and functions of each service. This approach focused on deployment environments, compatibility strategies involving communication protocols and diagnosing issues for household appliances and systems.

The prototype of the AnyPLACE solution was created considering the characteristics of a real household. The solution was deployed in Dörentrup, Germany.

Key Findings

Existing solutions are mainly based on monitoring and automation features.

Energy management was performed based on simple logic rules.

Solutions on the market have their own ecosystem of data models and applications, which limits interoperability.

An open automation solution like OpenHAB, which was used in AnyPLACE can allow a simple integration of existing devices and systems through the use of technology abstraction bindings.

Energy algorithms were necessary to allow a comprehensive optimization of the use of appliances and microgeneration systems (PV panels) that account for user comfort preference, different configurations of appliances and systems and different optimisation criteria (price oriented vs. CO2 oriented)

A cost-effective solution is possible for large-scale production with a proper integration strategy as the one defined in the project.

The information we learned would be of interest to:

Energy retailers, system operators, manufacturers, consumers

Further reading

Detailed project documentation will be published to AnyPLACE2020.org as they become available.